Hi-good morning everyone...cold herein Chicago-with about 4 inches of snow on the ground..going down to 0 tonite..Congrats to Patsy on her new grandson....nothing like being a Grandma!!! Judy-glad u enjoyed Cape May..have a great day...(hard for me to get on here today)...bye

Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.

"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.

"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.

"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'

"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.

"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus.

He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

hi everyone,hope all is well,been a while,were doing fine,holidays flew by,is there another site,besides this one for us to go to for Brooklyn back when.ok everyone take one day at a time and do the best you can bobby c .having a little trouble posting,as my last post went hay wire

Good morning friends.I posted to Warren yesterday.It was here & now the post is gone?Welcome back Warren. How is Carol?Hope all is well. So nice to see you backOn here. :)I am finally a grandma!!Hisname is Gavin & he is just adorable.Will post some pictures soon.

Hello all again. Patsy, congrats on the grandchild. I still remember the first one. Now we have 7. Oldest 22 and the youngest 10.Hi T Bone. I have to watch for the same problem I explained a while back. If it crops up again I will disappear again. Judy, good to see you and also Anna on here.

We have had the harshest winter in Florida since we moved here. Plenty of mornings in the 30's. The best part is of course no SNOW which you up North have had plenty of. Today, high 70's in the afternoon. Carol is doing quite well and is enjoying our apartment and all the amenities. We both have gained weight since coming here. Good for Carol. Not so good for me. I am cutting down on the desserts to see if that helps. I had a Colonoscopy earlier this month and a Cystostopy today. Both with good results. PSA up a little. Bears watching. As Porky Pig always said "Thaaaaaaaaats all folks".

Good afternoon friends,Rainy day today.Some good news though.My daughter Toniann receivedA scholar athlete award last night From Hunter for having highGPA. So proud.:) :)She is on Hunters softball team.Hope everyone enjoys their day.

All the snow you folks up north had this winter reminded me of a day many years ago when I worked in Fair Lawn NJ and still lived in the slope. I had driven to work on a dry morning but as the day wore on it snowed harder & harder. Finally about 2pm Management announced that that would have station wagons to drive us to the train station in Fairlawn. I left my car at work and took them up on the offer. We got to the station about 3pm. We took the first train to Hoboken and then switched to the Hudson tubes which took us into Manhattan. Then got the subway to 9thst St & 4th Ave and walked home through about 2 feet of snow. Got home about 9:30pm but at least safe. Next day took the subway and bus to Fairlawn and was able to drive my car home that day after they used the plow to free up our cars! Memories, Memories. I do NOT miss the snow one bit!

Good afternoon friends,Hi WarrenYes the snow can be somewhat troublesome but I do love it !!I like living where the seasons changeI am a creature of habit .Hope all is well with you & CarolTalk to you soon :)

I am here. Been busy. Going to the gym so I can eat a lot at our next lunch date. lolWARRENI was in Saint Petersberg for 31 days and it was cold. Not as cold as NY but cold. Out of 31 days I got to the beach 3 times. I enjoyed my stay. Very relaxing and got to see my Brooklyn Cuzzies.DEBBIE and PATSYCan not wait to see you guys March 15th...I am thinking of having a reunion this year at the Yacht club Anyone interested???Talk to ya soon

@t-bone51 if you click the blue icon, it should open a window on your computer where you can select a photo to upload. After you select the photo, you have to click "open" or "OK" - otherwise, it won't upload.

Check your inbox - I sent you a message. There are 6 uploaded photos today and none of them are yours. If it says "draft saved..." in the bottom left corner of your screen, that's normal and doesn't have anything to do with the photo upload.

hi all - the photo uploader works, but has a size limit. When you hit Open, you should see a spinning icon next to the blue uploader button. If you don't see the spinner, that means your photo was too big and was NOT uploaded, and you should save your photo in a smaller size and try again.

Hi-I'm so happy everyone is back on the blog...seems like old times again...Warren-I'm so glad you're back on...love your stories-keep them coming...I should be down in Fla. in July....expecting 9 inches of snow this weekend..it's been brutal here..Judy-hope your surgery went well..Patsy-congrats Grandma!!! and congratulations to your daughter too!! preparing to retire 4 weeks from Friday but who's counting!!! well, it's getting late so Good Night everybody...talk to u soon....

Hi Judy. I saved the current page in my favorites. So far it has brought me to the current posts. When a new page starts I will have to change that page to my favorites. Anna, I am sure you will love Florida. One word of caution. Do not let people talk you into getting rid of all your winter clothes. You will need at least some of them in Dec-Feb. I clicked on the blue Icon and got absolutely no response. No Pictures no nothing!!!! Yes, I do have pictures on my computer.

I guess that this color is Lilac or something close. Anyway the color selection works!

How come you guys let the New Mayor of NYC eat Pizza with a knife & fork???

A lot of you are too young to remember much about the Trolley Cars in Brooklyn. There were the Brown ones on 5th avenue which ran from Atlantic Ave all the way out to the 90's. There were silver trolleys on 7th avenue which ran all the way to Park Row in Manhattan. If I remember right they crossed the east river on the Manhattan Bridge. There were also silver ones on Ninth street which went down to Smith 9th and then downtown to Fulton Street and beyond. In the other direction they went up 9th St to Prospect Park and along PPW to 15th Street or Bartel Pritchard square (which is actually a circle). From there you could get another silver one that took you to Coney Island. There were free transfers for the asking so you could go from one Trolley to the other without extra charge. In Flatbush they were like trolley busses with a mesh electrical screen over head that a pole from the Trolley rode along and got its power. I am sure there were others in other neighborhoods. Trolley were a big part of the history of Brooklyn. In fact the Brooklyn Dodgers were originally the "Trolley Dodgers" named because the people going to the Ball Park by Eastern Parkway had to "Dodge" Trolleys to get to the ballpark. That was before Ebbetts field and before even my time.

Good morning friends :)Great story WarrenI vaguely remember trolley carsI didn't know the dodgers were named after the trolley at some point. Very interesting.That makes for some good trivia.My best to Carol.

Hi-Judy-glad the surgery went well..hi Patsy & Debbie-Hi Warren-i'll take your advice-I've noticed how cold it was in Fla. this winter..some winter clothes will come down with me...loved the story about the trolleys Warren-lived on the 8th between 19th & 20th St...my mom used to take my brother & me to Coney Island..we would take the trolley by the trolley barns on 9th Ave. & 19th St. (turned into Bishop Ford High School)..you sure brought back memories, thanks...taking Monday off (I have 2 more personal days to take before I retire) so I'm staying home & warm...snow coming my way-every night straight through Monday afternoon..counting the days until I retire..sold some of my furniture this week already..reality is starting to set in...LOL...have a nice weekend everyone

Happy Saturday!!!getting ready for snow again tomorrow. not sure how much we will be getting, but we need to buy some salt today for snow.i am going to do some food shopping today & am going to 86th street to shop too!!! everyone, have a great day & talk to you all, later.

:)

p.s. administrator, can we have back our smilies, if possible, please.

Last year I asked a question that I never got an answer to. With Easter coming up I wondered if they still have the Cross of Easter Lillies on display in the Hot House in Prospect Park at Easter time. The Line used to go around the building and way up the path for viewers. I am talking 70 years ago so if they are still doing it that is great!

Okay, a trivia question What Hotel was right next to the St George in Brooklyn. It is where Carol and I spent our wedding night?

Hi WarrenI don't remember ever seeing the Easter Lillie's at prospect park. I know the churches have beautiful palm crosses on display with Lillie's. It is a gorgeous sight.Idk the answer to the trivia hotel question.I googled it & it just gave pix & history of st George hotel.We await your answer!!The st George is now a 9 bldg complex, which includes restaurants & a fire house.Very interesting & quite beautiful.Stay well & talk to you soon.

hi everyone..Warren-don't know the answer to your question..sorry..Judy glad you're getting better every day..Patsy-bet u were disappointed you didn't get too much snow...LOL...I'll send u some of mine..over 73 inches of snow here this winter!!! had a good day today-had my 15 year service award ceremony today in front of the County Board...got beautiful bouquet of flowers and my award-now I'm just counting down the days until I sleep late (I hope!) after over 40 years of working-I'll probably get up at 5:30 AM and forget I don't have to go out in the subzero weather with snow and go to work!!! can u tell I'm excited? I'm also planning Jessica's baby shower which is on March 23rd. then the real work begins-decluttering my apartment!!! Time will go by fast...well, good night everyone-talk to u soon...

Hello All, Anna. Soon you will be a member of the retired folks group. I have been retired 21 & 1/2 years and it beats work any day.

The Hotel that Carol & I stayed in on our wedding night next to the St George was.....The Towers Hotel. WE EVEN WENT BACK ON OUR 1ST anniversary AND SPENT THE NIGHT. The FIRST TIME WE STAYED THE FEE WAS $10.50 +TAX. A year later it was $12.50 +TAX. It was a very nice Hotel, not a fleabag! It was at 25 Clark St and is now probably part of the St George complex. I still have the paid receipts for both nights.

The St George had the only indoor Saltwater swimming pool in NY. Its main ballroom was the largest in the city. We stayed at the Towers because all our friends and relatives thought we would be at the St George. We did not want to be disturbed on our Wedding Night.

Hi-Happy Friday-was a long week..hit 47 today but snow & ice overnight..can't catch a break here..where is Spring? Anyway, Tina, Justin & I are going to pick out a "baby" cake for the shower in 2 weeks..then I'll have Justin for a few hours while Tina gets her hair done..(got to take advantage of babysitting while I can-only here a few more months before I leave for Fla. my brother said he spoke to the salesman down in Fla-he said people are going down in droves buying houses b/c of the brutal cold up North this winter...well, hope everyone has a great weekend-talk to u next week...

Hi JimGlad to see you posting.Congrats on all your family's accomplishments!!I am finally a gramdma & so happy to be.His name is Gavin & he is 3 months old. He is my daughter Natalies & mySIL Kevin's baby. He is a little doll!!My youngest Toniann is a freshman inHunter college & is also going into theMedical field.Take care & keep posting.Have a great weekend.:)

Greetings from a still frozen St Paul. We still have about 10 inches of snow on the ground but the weatherman promised us temperatures of 40+ or so next week. Hopefully, it'll make the streets more navigable.

While we love Winter in these parts, there's always the idea of too much of a good thing. Yeah, Winter is great - but Spring is so much better and looooooong overdue!

hi everyone hope all is doing ok,ok time to shake the blog a little bit.i remember my mom taking me to coney island on the trolley,were bishop ford now is.we used to play in the old trolley barns,when they were knocking them down,and played by the prosepect expway,when it was being build.judy any relation to louise and diane Giordano,there father was danny,and mother was connie,anna everyone should retire at least once in there lives.ha ha] just a word about retiring,as I am retired since dec/2010 after working 40 yrs.for the fdny as a auto mechanic.at least working for the city,i had to go down 3 times to nycers,downtown brklyn,and talk to them face to face,as the information they give me over the phone was wrong,i,m just saying make sure,you leave #1 when its right time for you to leave,another words you have the years/pension/savings everything in order.because in the city,once you sign on the dotted line,its done.anna I put the fruit in the basket for 40 yrs,now I,m taking the fruit out of the basket ha ha.and what else remember the club under the el new utrect ave,the penthouse,scottish center,croushitos,the gallery,action city,henrys,the drive in mitchells,all the hot rods would drive thru,white castles on 92 and 4th ave.and louie and his brother frankie,they had a nice gold olds 442,both wore glasses,sunset pool in the summer,melody lanes{bowling}the church on 20st between 5 and 6th aves,they would have recreations in the basement,making hobbies in the summer.going down suicide hill in prospect park on my sled in the winter,the day the Brooklyn piers,went on fire,the bull lines,were my dad taught me how to drive,pilgram laundry,seeing santa claus on the 2nd floor in germains,were terry riley was santas helper,the toy would come down a little sliding pond,and he would hand you the toy,the 72nd pct,which was on 16st and 5th ave,across the street from the Berkley,pcts were called houses back then.wow enough,to be continued.ok everyone.take one day at a time,and do the best you can bobbyc

OMG JIMBOOOOOOOOMiss u so much..Reunion September 6th here in Staten IslandI hope u can come..Miss the good old blog days and you and your fun postHi Allhave to read everythingso glad lots of people are back.. Love u all Big Mamma